Page:One of a thousand.djvu/89

 BRAD LEE BRADLEE. 75 mittee for ten years past; was active in the organization of the Norfolk Club, and has held the chairmanship of its executive J. WALTER BRADLEE committee since its formation; organized Huntington F. Wolcott Post No. 102, G. A. R., of Milton, and was its first com- mander; he was also commander of the Norfolk county division, G. A. R.; member of the Royal Arcanum; member of Cypress Commandery Knights Templar; represent- ed the 4th Norfolk district in the Legis- lature in 1884 and '85, serving as House chairman of the committee on prisons. Mr. Bradlee comes of good Puritan stock, being a descendant of the old Milton family of Captain John Bradlee of revolutionary fame. His maternal ancestors were of the Bradford family. True to his antecedents, he has always taken an active interest in all that pertains to the welfare and pros- perity of his native town, and has done much towards maintaining its high stand- ard as one of the most attractive of the many outlying residential suburbs of the city of Boston. BRADLEE, NATHANIEL J., son of Sam- uel and Elisabeth Davis (Williams) Brad- lee, was born in Boston, June 1, 1829, and died in his native city, December 17, 1888. His father was a well-known merchant of Boston. His maternal grandfather, Caleb Davis of Boston, was the first speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representa- tives. Mr. Bradlee received his early education at Chauncy Hall school, from which insti- tution he was graduated in 1S46. He then entered the office of George M. Dexter, architect, of Boston, where In- remained until 1S56, when he became that gentleman's successor. In April, 1869, he was appointed by the municipal government of Boston to super- intend and take charge of the removal of the Hotel Pelham. The work was success- fully accomplished, and attracted such wide attention, that accounts of the way in which it was done were published in sev- eral of the English, French, and German newspapers. In 1874 Mr. Bradlee was appointed con- sulting architect to the commission for the Danvers Insane Asylum. He was also the architect for over five hundred build- ings in the city of Boston, including the edifices of the New England and Union Mutual Life Insurance companies, the Suf- folk Savings Bank and the Young Men's Christian Union, the buildings of the City, Market, Traders', Third National, and Commonwealth banks ; many large stores, warehouses, blocks and private residen- ces ; and the Second, South Congrega- tional, and Bullfinch Street churches. In August, 1875, he served upon the committee appointed by the secretary of the treasury to examine and report upon the condition of the new Chicago custom house. Secretary Bristow accepted the recommendations of the commission, and directed the supervising architect of the treasury to take down the parts of the structure they had condemned, and to pro- ceed with the reconstruction at once. With the water supply of the city of Boston Mr. Bradlee's name must be per- manently identified. He was elected the member-at-large of the city water board for two years in 1865, and was afterwards re-elected for five terms consecutively. He resigned the office during his last term of service, on account of the severe pressure of his business. During 1868, '69 and '70, he was president of the water board. It was during this period that the reservoir on Chestnut Hill was constructed. The largest basin in this receptacle was desig- nated by the board the Bradlee basin, out of compliment to him. In 1868 he published a remarkably able, accurate and detailed history of the intro- duction of pure water into the city of Bos-